Utilising their exclusive licence to the FIA World Rally Championship, and making big improvements to the game too, Sony have thrown a sizeable gauntlet down to their rivals with World Rally Championship II Extreme. From the off, it's clear much work has been done. The graphics, for instance, are excellent, from the detailed cars to the various rugged terrains you race over. And as with most rallying games, it's a meaty challenge, particularly in the early stages as you get used to things, and towards the end, as you try to win everything. The option exists to dive in for a quick race, but the real dividends are reaped when you take on the WRC mode. Said mode pits you into a full season, with multi-day and multi-stage races that take place right across the world over varying terrain. As such, the game calls not just for good driving skills--although they're understandably vital--but also a tactical approach as you adjust facets such as your gears, brakes and tyres to suit the forthcoming challenge. And when it gets down to the action, World Rally Championship II Extreme delivers. It's presents an enthralling, if testing, series of races, which can also be run in multiplayer mode. Perhaps it's still a little way behind its main rival, the Colin McRae Rally series, but it's a genuinely enjoyable challenge for the more experienced rally game fan. It's less forgiving than Mr McRae for those new to the genre, but then this is a serious rally game for serious rally game fans, and they would argue it's all the better for it. It requires dedication, practice and persistence from those who beat it, but they'll certainly have got strong value for money by the time they get to the end. --Simon Brew